Homemade Halloween Trail Mix

October is my favorite month of the year. I love Halloween and I love everything about fall -- the colors, the crisp air (well, it's sort of crisp in Texas), and the food.

This trail mix is one of my favorite fall recipes. To make it, you just need four ingredients: dried chopped dates, candy corn, dark chocolate chips, and peanuts.

Combine these ingredients and you're all set!

It tastes exactly like a Snickers bar, but it's a bit healthier. Give it a try for a great fall snack!

- Rachel

My Favorite Yoga Pairings

Lately, I've been thinking of yoga like a fine wine, something that is great on its own, but enhanced when paired with something else. Here are some of my favorite yoga pairings lately.

Yoga + candlelight. When I practice yoga at home, it helps me to turn off the lights so I can focus on my breath and not how much I need to dust. But doing yoga in a pitch black room isn't ideal, so lighting a candle or two is perfect. It sets the mood and helps me relax.

Yoga + spinning. I used to love taking group cycling classes and even taught them for a while, but it's hard to fit it in my schedule when I'm practicing yoga four times a week. My solution lately has been to follow up a 30-minute ride on my spin bike with a 30-minute yoga practice. I spend a little less time doing each, but it feels awesome. Some gyms offer dedicated yoga + spin classes, but if not, you can add your own yoga routine to the end of a traditional spin class.

Yoga + a friend. I'm a big fan of seeing friends and getting something done at the same time, and scheduling yoga classes with friends is a great way for me to do that. Sometimes I don't schedule enough time to slow down, breathe, and stretch, and knowing I can catch up with a friend either before or after 1. makes sure I get it done and 2. means I'll get even more out of the experience. It's also a great  way to introduce more people to yoga; if a friend is thinking of taking a class, inviting her to come along can be a good way for her to get started.

What is your favorite yoga pairing?

- Rachel 

Yoga at the Mall

The Dallas Business Journal is reporting that J.C. Penney is planning to offer in-store activities, including yoga, in the near future. The retailer's CEO Ron Johnson said, “We are here to transform J.C. Penney, not to improve J.C. Penney."

While I'm a fan of in-store yoga classes (Lululemon has been offering them for years), I am curious if these classes will be held during regular shopping hours. It sounds like that is the plan, and it's hard for me to imagine practicing in the middle of a store filled with shoppers. But hey, yoga is about being in the moment and not getting distracted, so maybe it would be a fun challenge. And I can imagine it would be a nice break from shopping stress come December!

Would you practice yoga in the middle of a department store like J.C. Penney? How about in the town square? Don't forget, we're hosting a free yoga class outside in the plaza at Sugar Land Town Center on Monday at 9:30 AM! See you there?

- Rachel

Is J.C. Penney your new yoga studio? [Dallas Business Journal]

Lululemon Trying to Patent Its Yoga Pants

The Lululemon "Astro" pant

Yoga apparel company Lululemon has developed quite a devoted following in the past few years, with many yoga enthusiasts swearing by their pants (though the $100 price tag and company's culture have raised a lot of eyebrows). Now the Vancouver-based company is making headlines because they are suing Calvin Klein, alleging that the other brand copied the waistband design of their "Astro" pant, along with two other design elements.

When I first heard about this lawsuit, I assumed they were trying to patent their pants' thick, stretchy, sweat-wicking material (which I am quite fond of, I must admit), which I assumed was created using some kind of fancy technology; I was surprised to hear that it's the waistband that they want to patent. Then again, the waistband is one of the reasons I like Lululemon's pants; it's keeps the pants in place during my practice and makes them extra flattering. It's one of the reasons I'm willing to spend more for these yoga pants, so don't blame the brand for wanting to protect the design.

While the lawsuit will probably have more far-reaching effects for the fashion industry than the yoga community, I'm still intrigued by it. This kind of competition seems somewhat anti-yoga; on the other hand though, Lululemon has a business to run. It will be interesting to see what happens in court.

Have you worn Lululemon's yoga pants? Do you think they are patent-worthy?

- Rachel 

 Lululemon patent claim highlights cutthroat yoga world [Chicago Tribune]

Monday Inspiration: Discover the Unknown

My inspiration this week comes from late astronomer Carl Sagan.

(source)

Last week, NASA's rover Curiosity made history when it landed on Mars. We have Curiosity because of people who saw incredible things waiting to be discovered and found a way to uncover them. It's the same reason we have the iPhone and Michelangelo's David. 

There are always stories waiting to be told and discoveries to be made. Someone has to get out there and find them, so why not me? This week, I'm going to try to go beyond the status quo at work, in my creative efforts, and at home, and discover something new. 

- Rachel 

Healthy Recipe: Crispy Fish Sandwich

If you're in need of a light and healthy dinner that won't require that you spend too much time over a hot stove, give these fish sandwiches a try!

Ingredients (serves two)

Two tilapia fillets, about four ounces each (I love frozen tilapia fillets for recipes like this one)

1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

1/2 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tbsp butter melted

Salt and pepper to taste

Whole-wheat hamburger buns, lettuce, tomato, and mayo

Directions

Melt half a tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat and add the breadcrumbs. Cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Then stir in the Old Bay. Transfer the crumbs to a plate. (You can make these the night before; just store at room temperature in an airtight container.)


Meanwhile, season the fish with salt and pepper and fire up the grill. Grill for about 8 minutes, turning once.

While the fish is grilling, toast the buns and top with mayo, lettuce, and tomato. When the fish is done brush each fillet on both sides with the remaining half-tablespoon of melted butter and then press the fish into the toasted breadcrumbs, getting it nice and coated. Fish flakes when it’s cooked, so it might fall apart a bit, but just scoop up the breadcrumbs and coat it as best you can. Serve on the hamburger buns.

This is a delicious dinner for a summer evening! Enjoy!

- Rachel 

Yoga & the Olympics

Have you been following the Olympics? While I'm not a huge sports fan, I love watching the summer games on TV. (And my family actually went to the '96 games in Atlanta!) I thought I'd share some ways I've seen yoga making its way into the Olympics this year.

First, US men's basketball player Deron snapped this photo of coach Mike Krzyzewski getting his child's pose on.

I can imagine that being a coach for Team USA gets pretty stressful and I can see why he'd take a moment to breathe!

In other news, have you heard that some people want to make yoga an Olympic sport? USAYoga is an international organization that is pushing for this; they put on the National Yoga Asana Championship back in March. According to CBS News:

Participants must do a series of seven yoga poses in three minutes. Five are compulsory — standing head-to-knee pose, standing bow-pulling pose, bow pose, rabbit pose, and stretching pose. The participants are allowed to pick the last two poses themselves.

Rajashree Choudhury, founder of USA Yoga, claims that the focus is on yoga postures. Still, a lot of people are questioning whether turning yoga into a competition goes against everything yoga is about. While I can see why those who love yoga would want to bring it to an international event like the Olympics, I am not really on board with this idea. I chose yoga specifically because it's not a competition; I'm not crazy about the idea of turning it into one.

Have you been following the Olympics? What do you think of the idea of yoga as an Olympic sport?

- Rachel 

Yoga poses as Olympic sport: Is that a stretch? [CBS News]